Iran Bans WhatsApp Because It's Owned By 'An American Zionist'

Officials in Iran have blocked residents in the country from
using WhatsApp, citing the fact that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg
— who purchased the messaging app a couple months ago — is
Jewish.

"The reason for this is the assumption of WhatsApp by the
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who is an American Zionist,"
said Abdolsamad Khorramabadi, head of the country's Committee on
Internet Crimes,
according to Fox News.

The Revolutionary Guard sees these social sites as a major threat
because there’s an appeal for young people and the government
worries about the exchange of information. [Supreme Leader]
Khamenei and his cronies, caught on to the power and potential of
these sites after the [Green Revolution] uprisings.

This isn't the first time that the country has blocked a service.
It blocked WeChat in December, and has previously blocked
Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. According to a report in Al
Jazeera,
several Iranian agencies control the Internet, but not all of
them agree on the policies.

Facebook has not yet commented on the reports, according to both
Haaretz and Fox News.